Blocher on the BaZ deal: "The swap with Tamedia is necessary".
Publisher Christoph Blocher is handing over the Basler Zeitung (BaZ) to the Zurich-based Tamedia publishing house. In return, Blocher takes over 100 percent of the Tagblatt der Stadt Zürich. The media swap had become "necessary," says Blocher in an interview with Handelszeitung.
In view of the concentration of the press, the future of the BaZ was not secure. Blocher had originally set out to strengthen diversity of opinion in Basel in the long term, but this intention has now failed. The concentration in Switzerland leads to a "certain impoverishment of content," Blocher confirms. And further: "That's why we regret that the sale of BaZ has become unavoidable in order to preserve the daily newspaper."
After leaving Basel, Blocher is focusing fully on free titles and local media. In the future, he will be present in this market with 29 papers throughout Switzerland. Blocher: "This is where I see the print future - this is where we want to grow further." However, he does not want to buy Walter Frey's 14 free newspapers. But they are already working together in the advertising sector.
